By Tom Frary
Just days after Baaeed's first winner was Group-placed, his second Curracloe was causing a stir at Gowran Park on Tuesday to become his first TDN Rising Star, Presented by Hagyard.
Sent off at 22-1 for the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden over seven furlongs, Qatar Racing's 240,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 purchase showed dash from the break under Ben Coen to overcome her wide draw and get to the rail behind the leading group. Showing a rare engine to hit the front a furlong from home, the Johnny Murtagh-trained daughter of the American Oaks and Just a Game runner-up Sassy Little Lila (Artie Schiller) powered to the line for a 3 1/4-length success.
Second was Ballydoyle's Snowing (No Nay Never), who had run in Push The Boat Out's maiden last time, with Juddmonte's even-money favourite Zenith Blaze (Kingman) who had been second in a hot Leopardstown maiden on debut another 1 1/4 lengths away in third. This was the maiden won 12 months ago by the subsequent Belmont Oaks heroine Kensington Lane.
Murtagh made it clear that he is a fan of Beech House Stud's brilliant son of Sea The Stars, whose daughter Coaxed made the breakthrough at Kempton Park and was third in the Prestige last month. “I love the stallion, I have a couple of them and the temperaments are really, really good,” he said.
“Curracloe is a very nice filly and have a few nice fillies coming along. She has a great temperament and had been working well at home. I thought she'd need the run today, but Ben said she was very natural, jumped well, took a good position and quickened up really well. She likes that ground. I'd say she's well above average to win first time out for one of ours.”
Murtagh is inclined to take it steady with the winner this term. “We'll see how she is. We always thought of her as being a nice two-year-old at the back-end or a three-year-old, so we'll speak to Sheikh Fahad and the team and see what they want to do,” he added. “We might give her one more, but her future lies as a three-year-old I think. She will be a mile-and-a-quarter filly.”
An impressive debut by Curracloe in the 7f maiden for two-year-olds at @GowranPark1. The winner, a daughter of Baaeed who changed hands for 240,000gns as yearling, was “very fast” through the final two furlongs, signing off with splits of 10.94sec and 11.55sec. She looks… pic.twitter.com/YRhTQLHpsT
— RaceiQ (@Race_iQ) September 1, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Curracloe is the second of three foals out of the aforementioned Sassy Little Lila (Artie Schiller), who was Graded-Stakes-placed on four occasions in total with her first foal being the Selima Stakes third Sweet Little Lila (Palace Pier). Among the dam's half-siblings is the Lancashire Oaks winner and Prix Vermeille runner-up Pomology (Arch), who in turn produced the Zetland scorer and Criterium de Saint-Cloud third Goldspur (Dubawi).
Also a half to the Listed-winning sprinter Tommy Taylor (Mizzen Mast) and to the dam of Oscar Performance's Saratoga Derby winner World Beater and dual Graded-Stakes-placed Heeere's Johnny, Sassy Little Lila was covered by the latter sire this year. She also has a yearling filly by Nyquist to come.
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